Cosmic-Watch
The sky’s (not quite) the limit
$3.99 Developer Celestial Dynamics, cosmic-watch.com Platform Universal Requirements iOS 7 or later
If you’re into outer space and stargazing, CosmicWatch is a great app to check out. While it does tell you the time in any part of the globe, the primary goal of Cosmic-Watch is to give you insight into what’s going on around the Earth at any moment.
Cosmic-Watch is simple enough for anyone to use, from space-loving kids to adults who are well-versed in astronomy. There are a few options on the left side of the screen that enable you to check out what constellations are visible and where to find them, where the inner planets are on their journey around the sun, and a feature that shows you where planets and eclipses are going to be visible. Not only can you see what’s currently going on, you also can skip back and forth through time to find out what the sky looked like, or will look like, on any other day.
Our only problem with the app is that it doesn’t provide any additional info – no encyclopedia-style articles about the planets, constellations, or anything else – not even links to the relevant article on Wikipedia. This app is designed solely as a sky map, which may make it a less attractive option for learning than something like Sky Guide. With that
in mind, it’s mainly older kids and adults who are already interested in simple stargazing who will find Cosmic-Watch particularly useful.
the bottom line. Cosmic-Watch is polished, easy to use, and could become the at-home astronomer’s go-to app when preparing for an evening of scanning the skies.